Sunday Night

hey everyone...

I know that I am neglecting this blog.  I always have great intentions to sit down and post something, but I just can't seem to get around to it.

My plate is rather full during this season of life.  If you will recall, back when Scott was delivering furniture and we weren't sure when another job would come along, I committed to several things in order to bring in a little extra cash.  Well...another job did come along, but I am still committed to all of those little jobs.  It makes my weeks a bit crazy.  I am still thankful for extra cash, especially as we begin to follow Dave Ramsey's get out of debt plan "to a T," but it doesn't leave much time for things like blogs.

All of that to say--that is where I have been.

In the mean time, what have we been up to?

I am still trying to get everything in the rental house organized.  You know how that goes...just when I feel like things are all in place, I realize there are two boxes in the corner that have yet to be unpacked or there are pictures still to be hung or...I could go on and on.  We have tackled quite a few things this weekend, but there is still more to do, and we are seriously lacking space in our cozy little rental. 

The homemaker, nurturer in me is ready to get things as settled as possible and then get this house correctly decorated for fall.  I did hang my fall wreath on the front door today, but I still need to get a few mums for the front steps, and then in October some, duh, duh, duh...pumpkins.  I love the yearly buying of pumpkins, don't you?  I am definitely thinking this year the Moores will be purchasing ours at a proper pumpkin patch since John is at a good age to enjoy things like that along with Ada.

Speaking of my John, we decided, very spur of the moment, to take our lunch to a local park after church today--you know, to add some excitement to our PB and Js.  (It's a little depressing when all you are eating for lunch after church is peanut butter sandwiches, so we had to "spice it up" a bit).  And my big boy John was just too cute sitting there at the picnic table like he was not a baby at all.  And of course we carried on, saying things like, "look at John," and "he is such a big boy," and he was loving it.

And, by the way, Scott and Ada were there too ;)

What else have we been doing?

Lots of play time with Hannah and Grant, as Ada and John are staying at Jessica's house while I tutor every Monday and Wednesday.  And Hannah and Grant played at our house this past Friday morning, while Jessica got her house ready for Hannah's fifth birthday party.  Ada is always thrilled to get in some play time with friends--and of course, in a matter of minutes both were properly attired for a good game of "princesses."

And then on Saturday, Ada was jumping up and down with excitement as she anticipated Hannah's big Dora party.  Jessica--you did such a great job.  It was a super cute and fun party, where all the kids went on an adventure just like Dora does.

And that is us, lately.  I really hope to get back to normal posting...we'll see, I guess...

A Little Down Time

Hannah is at our house playing for the afternoon, during her brother, Grant's, doctor's appointment.

(They are currently playing princess "sisters," but Ada has chosen mismatched pajamas for her costume)

At this age, it is actually a huge help (for the most part) for someone to be over here playing with Ada.  It gives me a chance to get things done around the house without Ada constantly underfoot.  Yes, it does mean toys everywhere, but everyday means toys everywhere, so that's really not a big difference.

We had a very busy morning just running around doing errands and things, which of course means sweating to death just to get from house to car from car to building and back to car, over and over again.  This heat, it's a killer.

Then I came home and attacked my family room and kitchen, which were both in need of some major cleaning (as is the entire house).  I cleared clutter and vacuumed floors and mopped the foyer, and finally, I decided I had earned a little computer time;) (Mom, I knew you would be glad to hear that I did quite a bit of cleaning today, and Scott cleaned the master bedroom!!)

Scott is out of the house at Chick-fil-a, using their free wi-fi to do a little job hunting and e-mailing, etc. etc. etc.  You know, the new normal around here:)  He likes to get out of the house for several hours a day to work on finding a new job.  He is also working for a friend several days a week, you know hourly pay kind of stuff--right now anything for a little cash to pad the severance pay;)  We are thankful for that work, as opposed to, you know, no work. 


And that is what the day-to-day looks like right now.  We are hoping this is just a short, short little blip on our life screen, but who knows what God is doing?  It's hard to say.  I am just going to keep praying the same prayer--can we get out of debt, build savings, give in abundance?  I will pray that prayer until he changes my heart about wanting those things.

I also, in a leap of faith kind of moment, went ahead and registered Ada for Classical Conversations, which starts in the fall.  Obviously, I don't know what the next few months of our life are going to look like, but I want to create and maintain as much of a routine as possible with Ada and John, and she has been so excited to start school, so we are moving forward with that plan.  That will start August 24th.  I think I am going to do most of our school upstairs in the guest room.  It is the least cluttered, quietest place in the house, so I think it will be easy to store our few school items up there.  I was going to use the downstairs play room, but it is such a wreck all of the time, that I just couldn't imagine trying to do school in the midst of that chaos.  Plus, I want to make it clear that we aren't playing school.  Right now, the dining room table is home to all of my school paraphernalia  but I plan to attack that room next, as soon as this computer time is over.

Anyway, I just wanted to stop in a give a little update on what our life is looking like these days.

Please continue to pray that Scott quickly finds a new job, and that we continue to rest in God's promise of provision.  I am weary of this "season" of life, and I find myself wanting to forget it all, but, obviously, that is not an option;)

Okay, I am off to do a little pinteresting before I get back to the task at hand.

The Day to Day

One of my favorite times of the day is when this little guy is so clean and wrapped up in a hooded towel.  He smells so sweet, and he feels so cuddly.   

Last night Ada had her ballet recital at our church.  Here Ada is in the church nursery before the "show" standing still while Miss Anna put some make up on Ada.  Ada loves Miss Anna (a teenager in our church, and Ada's ballet teacher). 

Here Anna is putting make up on some of the other little ballerinas.  Some of my friends took better pictures last night, so when I get those I will post them and write more about ballet and the recital.

Today Ada received a package from Near--mostly it was things that we left at my mom's house (mom always has stuff that I left.  I am notorious for leaving my things behind), but it also included the book that mom made for Ada. 

And in other news, John is dealing with his first big disobedience issue.  It's the stairs.  The temptation is just too much for him.

We have blocked the stairs, but he has just in the past few days been able to "unblock" them, and he even fell down the stairs the other morning.  Which resulted in a breatholding spell, ending in his passing out, coming to, and then being so tired he went down for a nap.  This did not deter him, however.

It continues to be an issue, and as a result John received his first real spanking (actually several spankings over the course of a few days).  I will sit on the couch, he will stand where you see him above, and I will say, "no sir!" very firm.  He usually smiles at me, waves, and says, "ey" (hey), and then continues with his mission.  At which point, if he is able to successfully move the "obstacle," and begin his climb up the stairs, he gets a spanking.

 He is a determined little booger, and even figured out how to climb over the box.  This is a first for John.  Ada was a climber from the get-go, climbing long before she learned to walk, but John hasn't been a big climber.  Until now.  It's his first lesson in obedience, bless him. 

And those are the highlights of our week. 

My Week In a List

So, apparently I only blog on Mondays and weekends.  It's been a week...again...

I am going to list...

1.  I am having foot issues.  And by foot issues, I mean the skin on my foot.  I am not going to go into detail about that, but just know that it has taken up a large portion of this week, and the issue is not resolved.  It also involved a steroid shot in my rear end.  This is what I have to say about that...when the nurse says left hip, she doesn't mean hip.  The foot issue also involved (involves) a long list of prescriptions, but none are guaranteed to help.  Well...some of the prescriptions are for my allergies that are possibly playing a role in the foot situation.  I am basically allergic to Spring.  If it's blooming, or just out in nature, I am allergic to it.  Anyway...all of that is a lot of what has occupied my week.  I have a dermatologist appointment on Wednesday, so hopefully things will soon be resolved.

2.  Our car is still in the shop; Monday begins week three.  The mechanic is waiting on a part to arrive.  I am ready to be a two car family again.

3.  John ate a banana today, which is great.  I just handed him half of a banana, and he went to town eating it.  I realize that is a very messy way to do it, but it was the only way to get him to eat some fruit.  Success!!!!

4.  In the midst of all of that, Ada's doll Clementine has been in the hospital "with seizures" ;).  Ada keeps having to "get blood" from her.  Ada is the doctor, obviously.

5.  We joined a food co-op with some other women from church, and we received our first "batch" of food this week.  I am hoping that will shave a few dollars off the grocery budget each week. 

And those are the highlights of the week.

Beginning with the first week in March, when Ada ended up in the emergency room with seizures, our life has been rather chaotic.  I'll be honest with you, for someone who struggles with wanting to be in control, it's not comfortable for life to feel this out of my control.  I am fighting the urge to feel down, down, down about things.  But...

God is so good to be right here with me meeting specific needs.  In fact, this morning, Ada and I were praying, and we prayed that she would be able to use the bathroom easily (she still has a bit of trouble with that, and we have to constantly monitor what she is eating) and that John would eat some fruits and vegetables.  Immediately after we prayed, Ada used the bathroom (sorry, I know that's TMI!!!) and John ate a banana.  I laughed because it was as if God was saying, I am here in the midst of your day-to-day, and I am hearing your prayers.  And right now, we are asking God for some big things on a daily basis, and it often feels like our prayers are hitting a brick wall.  But in this tiny thing of John eating a piece of fruit, it was like God, in his grace and mercy, showed me that He absolutely hears.  He hears!!!!  And when these requests that feel so huge and important and urgent are returned with silence it does not take away from the truth that God is sovereign and good and merciful and working in the midst of the chaos. 

Sick, Sick, Sick

Sickness has moved into our house, and it seems determined to stay.  (which is apparently true for a lot of people these days.)

John had a fever last weekend, and we stayed home from church last Sunday because we were all feeling fairly crummy.  Well, I waited out his cold all week, but his eye got runnier and runnier (he still has a clogged tear duct), and I began to suspect both pink eye and an ear infection.  Finally after a few rough nights in a row, I took him to the doctor on Friday morning.  Sure enough, pink eye and a double ear infection. 

Well, after the appointment and then getting the prescription filled, Ada began to act a little strange, refusing to eat her lunch and then refusing to eat her dinner.  Strangest of all?  She asked if she could go to bed last night.  Asked!!  So obviously I wasn't surprised when she woke up at 10 last night with a stomach virus.  After stripping her bed and giving her a quick bath, she fell asleep in our bed, until we had to repeat the entire process a couple of hours later.  Finally, at midnight, she and I both ended up in her twin bed (with fresh sheets), where she insisted on lying right beside me.  We were taking up about 1/4 of the bed.  And we slept on and off through the night, waking up periodically for her to get sick.  It was a doozy of a night.

Then today, John has been so very fussy, I am sure from the ear infection, and I was trying not to nurse him.  Well, he decided to absolutely throw a fit.  It was really funny to watch.  Scott tried to pick him up to comfort him, but he was flailing about so much, that Scott had to put him on the ground to keep from dropping him.  At one point during the fit, John spotted the boppy.  It was hilarious because he immediately walked himself over there and tried to pick up the boppy.  Obviously it was too big and heavy for him to carry, so he just put his hand on it, looked at me, and pushed it towards me.  I was getting the message loud and clear:)  He wouldn't let it go either.  He was determined that I was going to pick up that boppy and nurse him.  Finally, he won.  I told myself that he is still feeling bad, and we will get back to weaning in a couple of days.  I am a bit frustrated because he was DONE, and then he got sick, and we are back to square one.

The good news?  My sick children are both in bed before 6:30, and Scott has gone to pick up a movie for us to watch.  So, though it's been a stressful day, I think, I think, we are looking at a relaxing night.  And Ada hasn't been sick in a few hours, so hopefully we are past the worst of it.  She is counting on attending a birthday party tomorrow, but we'll see if that actually happens.  She keeps insisting that she's "all better," so that she can go. 

And, by the way, I think the fact that John is old enough to process the fact that the boppy equals nursing means he is old enough to stop nursing.  Do you agree?

Listing My Days

Lately (or always) I often get overwhelmed at the end of the day when the house is a mess, and I am trying to remember what I did that day.  How did we fill the hours?  A little lie that plays in my head says that I didn't do anything that matters.  I tell myself (and Scott, bless his heart, I talk his ears off all the time) that I don't think we just wasted the day away, but what did we do, I wonder? 

Combine that with the fact that I would love to go back and read a record of my mom's or my grandmother's or my great grandmother's days as stay-at-home moms.  I adore Elisabeth Elliot's book, The Shaping of a Christian Family as it is basically a journal of what her mother's life looked like when she was a mom.  I learn so much from reading a record of her days.  I always imagine that one day Ada will come to me with questions when she is also in the motherhood trenches (if the Lord decides to make her a mom).  So, I have started jotting down my days.  Just a list, nothing formal, but a way for me to look back over my days and reflect.  I have only been doing this for two days, but I am loving that it forces me to reflect and see that I am doing something. 

So, just for fun...our day today.

Woke up at 5 am, excited to work out and do my bible study.  John woke up with a vengeance at 5:10 am, waking Ada up with him.  I nursed John (who is supposedly weaned) and then lay down with Ada until 7 am.  I don't think she ever went back to sleep.

At 7 am, got up, made bed, "switched laundry," unloaded dishwasher, swept kitchen floor

John woke up

quick "wipe down" of guest bathroom

John had a "spell," he is worn out from it, I put him back to bed at 8:00

8:30 got in the shower, while in the shower, Ada comes in the bathroom and tells me that she went into John's room but assures me, "he didn't see me." 

Get out of shower, and sure enough, John is awake.

9 am, Jessica gets here to watch my kids while I run an errand for Church

return at 10:30 am

Go upstairs and notice water on the floor of John's room.  I ask Ada if she was playing with water upstairs, and she says, "that's tee-tee."  I never get a clear answer on how tee-tee got on John's floor other than "it dripped."

Realize that I need to clean out our vacuum before I can clean up the tee-tee (we have a Rainbow, which sucks wet spills right off the carpet.  If you are wondering how we ended up with a Rainbow, that's another post for another day)

I push John's high chair outside, put vanilla wafers on the tray, and put John in the high chair.  Ada joins us outside.

I realize the water hose is broken when I soak my jeans, but I manage to clean out the Rainbow container.

I roll John back inside, and I get Ada inside.

I take John and the vacuum upstairs.  Put John in bed, and finally get the tee-tee cleaned up.

Get John down for a nap, fix lunch for Ada and me, eat, and crash on the couch while Ada watches two cartoons.

John wakes up.

Ada, John, and I play with the letters blocks.  I try to teach Ada how to "blend" letters.  John some how hurts himself and has another "spell"

He is worn out again from the breath holding, and I put him back to bed.

While upstairs, I fold clothes on my bed and try to ignore the clothes covering my floor so that I don't become overwhelmed.

Match pile of socks on the floor.

comes downstairs--it's 2:30

I sit down to attempt my bible study that didn't get done this AM, and Ada writes her letters and we review vowels, which she calls "balance" (A "balance" is A).  I try to correct her, but she never hears the word correctly.

And I stopped recording there.  Lots more hours have passed, and now Scott is at Bible Study, the kids are in bed, and I am watching The Biggest Loser.   And, yes, my house is a mess.  A mess.  The kitchen is clean, though.  That's something.

This is my day-to-day.

Just a few things

Lately, John is trying so hard to use a spoon.  Bless his heart, he just can't get it.  Those are cut up carrots, in case you were wondering.

And here, as Ada was watching cartoons, she very seriously said to me, "These are my exercises.  They help my legs."

Finally, an easy solution to Ada's itch for a garden.  I found these little "kits" in the dollar section at Target.  One is for strawberries and one is for a flower (I can't remember the name).  Ada loved putting it all together.  Who knows if it will work out, but in the mean time, I am going to encourage her to water them everyday, and if they do grow, we will transfer them to larger pots.

Our Week

So...I posted on Sunday night, and then the week began, and it was a doozy of a week.  Oh wow. 

There wasn't any major thing that happened; it was just so many little things.  And I haven't really come up for air until now.  So, here I am.  And here is the week in some pictures.

(doing 30 day shred with me.  She loves it, and is doing it on her own as I type this)

(the play house that Mary Ann got her)

The good news about the week is that I stuck to my "resolutions."  I have made my bed first thing every morning, which has been the perfect place to put clean laundry when it comes out of the dryer, so I even have a good system going with the laundry.  I have exercised twice this week, and I plan to exercise once this weekend.  I have given Ada miralax every night this week, though we have yet to have success with that (I am beyond frustrated with the whole thing, and we are praying a lot, and Ada is crying a lot, and it's just not a great situation--It is now Friday night, and we have still had no success.  She is a champion "holder!!!")

I can't even explain why it's been a hard week other than the fact that Ada is three, and it seems that every second of every day is a battle.  Plus I struggle in a major way with only seeing the negative.  I know that is a sin tendency of mine, so at the end of each day, it is hard for me to see the successes.  It all looks like failure to me, and I have a hard time knowing if that is true or just the way my mind perceives it.  I don't want to view life from a negative perspective.  I absolutely don't.  Especially when I live in the hope of Christ.  But it's a battle I fight with my mind.  And this week, lies and emotions tell me that I have failed at parenting--just being really honest with you here--but I am praying for truth in the midst of that. 

I also battle really low energy.  I don't know what causes that.  It aids in my large diet coke consumption because caffeine is a quick fix, but for whatever reason, it has been a very low energy week.  At times a struggle to put one foot in front of the other.

But there have been some major victories this week.  Now that I have struggled with "negative thinking" for most of my life, I have learned to recognize the lies playing in my mind.  The one that plays on repeat?  "you can't do this; it's too much; it's too hard," and this lie is especially loud on days when I have no energy.  But this week, I was able to clearly recognize that those thoughts are LIES, and I repeated back, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength," such a familiar verse, but nonetheless so very true.  So...in those moments when life in general feels too hard, I have simply looked at that moment of that day and I have done the next thing.  Christ gives me strength to do the next thing.  (By the way, as I type this, Ada is lying on the floor, yelling at me to put a diaper on her...I am so ready for this whole situation to be done!!!) Anyway, I hate to be such a downer, when in reality nothing really went wrong this week.  I am just ready for us to be past this potty "trial," and I am a little weary of the constant nursing and concerned about the logistics of weaning. 

The week ended with another trip to the pediatrician because John had what I thought was pink eye for the fourth time.  Since it was our fourth visit, the doctor determined that this is more likely clogged tear ducts, which he had for about the first six months of life, we thought they were cleared up, and I am guessing that first round of pink eye aggravated everything again.  If this doesn't clear up by one year there will be some kind of procedure done. 

On a more light hearted note, I want to share a conversation that we had with Ada in the car tonight.

Ada:  "let's play the alphabet game..." (we name a word and guess what it starts with.  Ada is terrible at this game)
Me:  "Okay, what does Ada start with?"
Ada:  "A!!!"  (so excited to know the answer)
Scott:  "What does Dad start with?"
Ada:  "E!!!" (so confident)
Scott:  "What sound does E make?"
Ada:  "C-C-C" (the hard C sound, again so confident)

Scott and I were laughing fairly hard at this.  I had such high hopes for her being an early reader.  I don't really think it's happening.

Okay, I just felt like I needed to check in and process the week that we just had.  Again, nothing bad happened other than my melancholy tendencies threatened to level me, but I fought (BY GOD'S GRACE!!!), and we made it through the week despite the threats;) 

And I am begging (literally laying hands on Ada as she sits on the potty) for God to help Ada use the potty.  Oh my word.  This child.